Boston, MA - Anchorage, AK: flying time nine hours (19 hours door-to-door), but we made it! First photo taken at takeoff in Logan, second somewhere over Oregon (maybe?), and the last one - approaching Anchorage.
Then we got our rental car and drove two more hours to Seward (that was Day Zero, spent traveling). Staying two nights in A Cabin on the Cliff, which looks exactly as it sounds - very cozy and with a great view of the harbor.
Overnight, a cruise ship came in.
We spent the first day doing a 7-hour tour of the Kenai Fjords - it is called Captain's Choice tour, which means that the Captain decides where to go on this particular day, based on the weather and circumstances, to maximize the glacier views and wildlife sightings. We were not exactly lucky with the weather, it rained most of the time, but fortunately rain stopped at several important moments, so I could get good photos of the glaciers and some wildlife, too.
As soon as we left the port, there was our first Bald Eagle sitting on some kind of metal structure.
Then we moved further into the Kenai Fjords - the day was gloomy and overcast...
This last glacier is called Northwestern (named after the University). At this point, the rain practically stopped, so I was able to take my "big" camera out.
Pieces of glacier break off (this process is called "calving") - some of the bigger chunks floating around serve as resting places for seals or seagulls...
... and some of the smaller pieces - or so our Captain told us - were rescued by the crew and put in our drinks. Mine is a Negroni.
Not far from the glaciers, there were some Sea Lions resting between the rocks...
... and then - puffins. Lots and lots of puffins.
These are the same kind as in Iceland - Horned Puffins.
And these are different - Tufted Puffins. They have tufts of feathers on the sides of their heads.
Of course, there were tons of seagulls, as well.
Also, somewhere along the way, I managed to snatch photos of two different Sea Otters. Here is one...
... and this is the other.
And finally, our Captain got a call about some orcas being spotted a little farther out in the bay and extended our trip, taking the ship off the planned course, to give us a chance to see them! There were quite a few other boats around, but we managed to approach and get a few good looks.
At one moment, an orca jumped vertically out of the water, spinning like a corkscrew, and then flopped back in. I missed the initial jump, but managed to get an action sequence of the flop!
This concluded our trip, but not the wildlife sightings for the day. We returned to the port, disembarked, and went back to our cabin - about a 15-minute walk. And along the way, by the creek, noticed a Juvenile Bald Eagle having a meal while being harassed by a bunch of magpies.
These things are totally fearless - just look at her! - literally pulling him by the tail, to make him abandon his meal and get a chance to steal some...
> Day 2
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